I first received the opportunity to be a Social Media Volunteer at Emmaus Merseyside through my university and I jumped on the opportunity instantly. At first, I joined for the experience it would give me for my CV, but after my first time visiting Emmaus, I knew this would be something I’d stay with for as long as possible. From November 2022 until May 2024, I was a part of the Emmaus team and what a joy it was.
I’ve always had a passion for helping others, so with me studying for a media degree, Emmaus was an amazing way for me to grow my skills within social media, but also being able to meet companions and talk to them about their lives which only made me want to do more for the charity. My role was to attend Emmaus whenever I could (for me this was once a week) and I would first go into the community house. I’d plan what content I wanted to gather which ranged from garden progress, charity shop items and personal videos of the companions. I’d then move onto the Charity Superstore to gather content in bulk so I could schedule all my posts for the social media platforms, specifically Instagram and Tik Tok.
The most rewarding part of my role at Emmaus was meeting all the team and companions. Everyone made me feel so welcome and I looked forward each week to seeing everyone. Walking into the charity shop and being told I was missed and everyone telling me how grateful they are was incredibly rewarding and made me feel so comfortable around everybody. The managers at Emmaus kept in constant contact with me, making sure I had everything I need. They gave me access to tools such as Canva which helped me in creating content as well as with my degree. In addition to this I was taught how to use apps in which I could schedule posts, this was a key factor in strengthening my organisation skills as it made it easier to keep track of my posting schedule.
Supporting my degree
Emmaus was amazing at making sure my other commitments such as university and my part-time job were a priority. If I had it my way, I would have been at Emmaus every day as it was so much fun and definitely my favourite part of the week as I loved getting to develop their social media accounts. However, as university got in the way and essays were due, Emmaus was so supportive and relaxed when I was not able to attend some weeks. My degree and Emmaus went hand in hand, so much so that for my final essay (dissertation equivalent), I chose to write about my volunteering experience. I managed to get a first in this so Emmaus was extremely helpful when it came to my degree.
Overall, volunteering for a charity was the best decision I’ve ever made. It has led me to understand that I’d like my future career to be within the charity sector. The feeling of knowing that something I did like posting a photo, which is so simple, can lead to helping a charity gain more awareness is extremely rewarding. I would recommend to anyone to volunteer as it is something that can enhance you as a person but also help others.